Howling in Slow Motion: A limited drive hints at
 how good the howler could be (8/4/2000)
 Todd Lassa

 Twenty-five miles an hour. A DaimlerChrysler official tells us that's
 the speed limit for our short drive of its Howler concept. Its 250-hp,
 Jeep Powertech 4.7-liter V8 belches wantonly. Can we pop the
 clutch on our way to 25? No, sorry, smoky burnouts are not allowed.

 So we ease out the long-travel clutch pedal and baby Howler up
 and down a curvy section of road. We do several runs, and then
 shoot one eye on the speedo. It reads zero, forever... it's not
connected!

 Hey, doesn't that mean we can go as fast as we want until we see
 25 on the speed meter? We give the Howler a good shot of juice in
 second, and its exhaust note signals there's plenty more where that
 came from.

 The DC road-test policeman in the pas~senger seat suggests we
 back off. We've hit maybe 40 mph.

 This is what we know about the Howler concept, the reworking of
 the Plymouth Prowler that DaimlerChrysler showed off to the
  Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas last
 fall:

 A. The view forward from the driver's seat is better without the
 Prowler's front rubber baby buggy bumpers.

 B. The Howler's seating position is awful, because the long travel
 of the clutch pedal forces us to move our seat too close to the
 steering wheel. It's a concept, so we don't subtract points. Besides,
 with elbows out, we've got the hot rod driving style down pat.

 C. As noted above, Howler's exhaust note is awesome. Its deep
 snarl grabs your attention at (more or less) smooth idle as well as
 when under acceleration. It emits a raspy blub-blub-blub-blub that's
 as distinctive as a Harley.

 D. Howler's tires beg to be lit up--and they could do it, too. There is
 no way to light up the huge rears on a stock Prowler, short of
 pouring bleach over them.

 Howler is the limited-edition factory hot rod Prowler was meant to
 be. But while DaimlerChrysler plans to extend Prowler's life beyond
 the Plymouth division's demise, don't wait for Howler to be the next
 show car turned into reality.

 The stay of execution for Prowler is merely a ``build out,'' to use all
 parts and pieces stored for the production car. If Prowler had
 Howler's parts to begin with--especially this engine--Prowler would
 have lived a much longer life.


 

 

 

 



 
DaimlerChrysler's Howler Prowls Greater Los Angeles Auto Show
7 January 2000 
A Performance Roadster Pickup Interpretation of Prowler

    LOS ANGELES, Jan. 6 -- Paying homage to the rolling art of
hot rods, DaimlerChrysler showcased yet another concept vehicle at
the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show today -- the Howler.  As a performance
roadster pickup version of the Prowler, the Howler boasts a V-8 engine with
250 horsepower and 300 poundfeet of torque.
    Howler is the result of two internal projects.  DaimlerChrysler's designer
Christopher Schuttera, who graduated just two years ago from the University of
Cincinnati, had a vision based on a modern version of classic forms.  His
creation incorporated a pickup bed into the clean, pure Prowler design.
    At the same time, Jon Rundels, Senior Manager of Concept and Specialty
Vehicles, was looking for ways to meld the Prowler platform with the all-new
4.7-liter V-8 engine and a Borg-Warner T5 manual transmission.
    "Here we had two enthusiast projects going on in our own Auburn Hills
studios that you would expect to see in an automotive specialty shop here in
California," said Tom Gale, DaimlerChrysler Corporation's Executive Vice
President for Product Development and Design.
    "With its reputation of exhibiting ground-breaking automotive designs, the
Greater Los Angeles Auto Show is a perfect venue to display the Howler," noted
Gale.  "Successfully transforming a sophisticated hot rod into a functional
pickup is quite an engineering feat that show spectators here will
appreciate."
    Howler is an unprecedented combination of outrageous yet practical design
and powerful performance.  Technically, Rundels' team changed the engine from
the standard V-6 to the PowerTech V-8, replaced the rear transaxle with an
engine-mounted five-speed manual transmission with 10.5 inch clutch and a Dana
44 rear differential, and fabricated custom drive- and half-shafts.  A pedal
package with clutch was borrowed from the Neon to replace the standard two
pedal package.  Removing the rear transaxle provided the opportunity to
reposition and enlarge the fuel tank.
    "This in turn allowed us to open up the rear of the car and create space
for a trunk while leaving the front end, doors, top and interior untouched,"
added Schuttera.  "The result is a show vehicle that remains true to the
heritage of the home-built hot rod."  Howler's performance figures include a
sprint to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds and a top speed of 129 mph.



 
DaimlerChrysler's Howler Prowls Greater Los Angeles Auto Show - 
Performance Roadster Pickup Interpretation of Prowler 
 


Paying homage to the rolling art of hot rods, DaimlerChrysler showcased yet another concept
vehicle at the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show today - the Howler. As a performance roadster
pickup version of the Prowler, the Howler boasts a V-8 engine with 250 horsepower and 300
poundfeet of torque. Howler is the result of two internal projects. DaimlerChrysler's designer 
Christopher Schuttera, who graduated just two years ago from the University of Cincinnati, 
had a vision based on a modern version of classic forms. His creation incorporated a pickup 
bed into the clean, pure Prowler design. 

 At the same time, Jon Rundels, Senior Manager of Concept and Specialty Vehicles, was 
looking for ways to meld the Prowler platform with the all-new 4.7-liter V-8 engine and a 
Borg-Warner T5 manual transmission. "Here we had two enthusiast projects going on in our
 own Auburn Hills studios that you would expect to see in an automotive specialty shop 
here in California," said Tom Gale, DaimlerChrysler Corporation's Executive Vice President 
for Product Development and Design. 

 "With its reputation of exhibiting ground-breaking automotive designs, the Greater 
Los Angeles Auto Show is a perfect venue to display the Howler," noted Gale. 
"Successfully transforming a sophisticated hot rod into a functional pickup is quite an 
engineering feat that show spectators here will appreciate." 


Howler is an unprecedented combination of outrageous yet
 practical design and powerful performance. Technically,
 Rundels' team changed the engine from the standard V-6 to
 the PowerTech V-8, replaced the rear transaxle with an
 engine-mounted five-speed manual transmission with 10.5
 inch clutch and a Dana 44 rear differential, and fabricated
 custom drive- and half-shafts. A pedal package with clutch was
 borrowed from the Neon to replace the standard two pedal
 package. Removing the rear transaxle provided the
 opportunity to reposition and enlarge the fuel tank. 
 "This in turn allowed us to open up the rear of the car and create space for a trunk while 
leaving the front end, doors, top and interior untouched," added Schuttera. 
"The result is a show vehicle that remains true to the heritage of the home-built hot rod." 
Howler's performance figures include a sprint to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds and a top speed 
of 129 mph. 



 
News of  November 9, 1999

 DAIMLERCHRYSLER Shows Off Two Concept Cars Studies At Annual SEMA SHOW
 LAS VEGAS
              .

 Tom Gale and the Howler (right) and the GT Cruiser (left)
 Photo: DaimlerChrysler

 Nov. 2, 1999 - Tom Gale, Executive Vice President for Product Strategy & Design of DaimlerChrysler Corp.,
 unveiled two concept car studies - Howler (right) and GT Cruiser - at the 1999 Specialty Equipment Market
 Association (SEMA) show today. Both cars are intended as design studies only, providing manufacturers of
 automotive accessories ideas for owners to personalize their cars. GT Cruiser is based on the Chrysler PT Cruiser, 
which will go on sale next spring. Howler is a design study based on the Prowler roadster now being
 produced by the automaker.

My Prowler Links Page